By way of a follow-up to my post below about those stick-on ribbons that adorn so many cars:

I have been informed by my sweet friend, Jeffrey, that those ribbons have been popular all over the East since the war in Iraq started.

Huh?

I was just coming out of ortho rehab and relearning to walk at that time, and I admit that I did not do too much driving ...

... but I swear that those ribbons did NOT show up here in Phoenixberg until a few months ago!

However, Trish sees them on U.S. cars up there in Canadaville and also when she travels to New York state ... so either I am simply "blonde-oblivious" or we out here in the West are just way, way behind!

Bakiwop made a very poignant comment about the money spent on the stick-on ribbons should instead be money spent on bullet-proof vests for the soldiers. Amen! &nsp; Point well made.

Theresa said that she has a Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon on her vehicle and part of the proceeds from the sales of the stick-on ribbons goes to breast cancer research ... now THAT is a sales/marketing program that makes sense!

Meanwhile, on a different note ...

... I have always wondered about the window decals that are a caricature of a little boy peeing on something. Why would someone put an image of a urinating child in their window?

Leave it to Jeffrey to 'splain it to me. Apparently that peeing boylette is a character from a cartoon/comic strip "Calvin & Hobbes". Since I never read comics and apparently live in an alternate world, I am totally out of touch.

Where is my focus? Why am I the last to know? Am I just dumb as that proverbial box of rocks? Or am I too consumed with serious matters?

By the way, those are rhetorical questions and do NOT need answering! ;-)

Anyhow, a hearty "thank you" to those of you who still visit and take the time to comment ... you are appreciated!

Yes, this is another journal entry about what I am seeing in (or in this case "on") various vehicles when driving around metro Phoenix.

First of all, let me preface this post with a declaration: I am a purist. Minimal foo foo. Clean lines, less clutter truly appeals to me.

Hence I am amazed by the rapidly growing number of these "stick-on" ribbons that are appearing on cars and trucks. I am sure you have seen them: they replicate the looped ribbon worn on lapels, some are yellow or perhaps red/white/blue, about ten inches in height and are lettered with some statement of patriotism such as "Support Our Troops".

I remember the first one I saw ... I thought to myself, "Wow, that's a clever way to express support. I wonder if they made that themselves".

But in the days and weeks to follow, they began to spread throughout the Valley. Like bunny rabbits on Viagra, they multiplied.

It seems that some people are confused how to display them: should they be stuck on vertically (like the ribbon on a lapel) or perhaps on an angle so the words can be read horizontally?

For some folks, one ribbon is not enough. I saw a SUV yesterday with three on the back. All three were patriotic. All three were different.

Much like the wave of American flags (pun intended) that appeared on vehicles post 9/11 ... this is an interesting phenomena of support.

However, Saturday morning I saw one ribbon that made me do a double take:

It was a black and orange ribbon that read, "I Need My Hockey Fix(ed)". Hockey fans take the NHL lockout pretty seriously, eh?

I cannot wait to see what they come up with next.

Perhaps they will make a stick-on ribbon satirizing all the ribbons that says, "Support Stick-On Ribbon Manufacturers".

Today, whilst driving westbound on Northern Avenue in central Phoenix, what do I see?

Another car (this one newer and dark blue in color) with a back window chocked full of doggies!

These critters were not the "bobbin' the head" variety (see the post below) ... they were plush stuffed toys about 4"-6" in height of various colors and representative of numerous breeds. There must of been three, maybe four dozen of them!

Then I looked more closely. In professional white lettering across the back window were the words "Lucky Dog".

Huh?

I sped up to read the rest of the lettering and lo, and behold ... it is a PROFESSIONAL dog poop scooping business right here in the Valley of the Sun.

Driving along, I began to laugh to myself thinking of all the funny lines you could use when working for that company:

"How's business?"
"Not so good."
"No shit?"
"Exactly."

Then I thought about the credentials of someone who would do professional poop scooping.

And of course, I came to thinking about my own job. It sure seems I take a lot of crap from my clients, often find myself working feverishly to clean up someone else's mess (errors/delays in shipping, etc.) and constantly have to "bullshit" to keep the customer satisfied.

I guess when I come right down to it, I too, am a professional poop scooper.

[[ Perhaps I need to get a whole flock of Barbie and Ken dolls, dress them in business suits or medical attire, and fill up my back window with them!]]

So, I am driving northbound on the Piestewa Parkway (nee Squaw Peak Parkway) through the mountain preserve and I am forced to slow down due to a reddish color four-door sedan traveling way too slow in the lane directly in front of me.

Traffic is heavy so I cannot pass or change lanes.

At first, I am frustrated by the unnecessary delay in my journey but then, upon taking a good look at the car ahead of me, I began to laugh.

There, in the back window of the slow moving reddish car, were maybe two dozen little bobble-head chihuahua dogs with their ceramic heads bobbing rhythmically on their springs ... a bizarre ballet orchestrated by the roll of tires on asphalt. They were of various sizes and colors but all chihuahua likenesses.

The absurdity of someone collecting those doglettes and actually placing a whole cadre of them in their back window made me wonder who was driving the car.

When traffic allowed, I changed lanes to the left and accelerated allowing me to glance over at the driver of this artificial kennel.

Driving the reddish color car with both hands locked to the steering wheel and barely seeing over the dashboard was an elderly man who seemed to be concentrating dutifully on the parkway traffic. Next to him, a small elderly woman watching the road as though she was truly "riding shotgun".

This whole scenario made me not only laugh out loud, but kept me smiling most of the afternoon.

Later that evening, whilst driving southbound on the Piestewa Parkway, I almost felt gypped that I did not see the slow moving reddish car.